Kollman nets game winner as Dinos take Crowchild Classic

Recap by University of Calgary Dinos Sports Information

CALGARY – Courtney Kollman broke open a scoreless game with her ninth goal of the year early in the third period to spark the University of Calgary Dinos women's hockey team to a 2-0 win over the No. 2 Mount Royal Cougars Wednesday in front of 10,474 fans inside the Scotiabank Saddledome for the annual Crowchild Classic.

Kollman – who spent the past two seasons with the Cougars before transferring to Calgary to continue her education – redirected a shot by Dana Wood from the blue line that went five-hole for the game's first goal 7:13 into the third. 

"I saw Liz (Lang) pass it up to Dana and I thought 'I've got to get to the front of the net,'" Kollman recalled about the game winner. "I know (MRU keeper Kaitlyn) Ross is a good goalie so I just wanted to get in her eyes and luckily I got a stick to it and it went between her legs."

Elizabeth Lang would add an empty netter to seal this one up late in the contest.

The win is a big one for the Dinos, who now move to 10-13-2 on the year and claim a tighter hold on the fifth playoff spot with three games left on their schedule. Meanwhile, MRU moves to 18-5 on the year and is right in the middle of a tight battle near the top of the Canada West standings.

After a scoreless first that featured just 10 combined shots, the two teams opened things up a little more in the second period. With just 3:05 left in the frame, Sydney Benko had a breakaway chance, but her blast was gobbled up by the glove of Gabriella Durante.

Moments later with the Dinos on the power play, Caitlyn Perlinger had a rip from distance that seemed destined for the back of the net, only to see the puck poked away by a defender's stick at the last second.
After a combined 21 shots between the two teams in the first two periods, the final frame featured another 21, as the teams went end to end a number of times in search of the game winner. 

Less than a minute before Kollman's goal, it looked as though it would be MRU who would get on the board first. But Durante made another highlight-level save, turning away a backhander point blank with her blocker before slamming the door on the rebound.

After a number of strong defensive moments by the Dinos going up against a desperate MRU squad that emptied its net, Calgary put this one away as Lang scored her 10th of the season.

"It's a little nerve-wracking," Kollman said about having to close out the game against a high-powered MRU attack with an extra attacker. "We had a lot of blocked shots at the end. We battled hard in the D zone and we didn't let them get much through to the net. And Gabby stood on her head back there for us.

"She (Durante) makes playing out there a lot easier for us. We can trust her. If there's an odd-man rush or a shot, we know she's probably saving it. It gives a lot of confidence being able to play in front of her." 

Durante finished the night with 21 saves for her second shutout of the year.

Wednesday's game was the 10th installment of the Crowchild Classic inside the Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary is now 7-3 all-time in those games, outscoring MRU by a combined 21-14.

The two teams will finish off their season series Friday with a 7 p.m. contest from the Flames Community Arena.